Inner Demons
by Jayne Foxx
Summary: Alexandra Kale has been running from her history for over a century. When she receives a distressed call from her best friend, Stefan, she grudgingly agrees to return to Mystic Falls, only to run into a man she never wanted to see again. Will Alexandra forgive Damon for his wrongdoings? Or will the Damon from her past continue to haunt her forever?
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

_**July 15, 1865**_

The stars shone on the cobblestone streets, watching as the young blonde girl sobbed her way along an empty sidewalk. She kicked loveless pebbles away from her, punishing them for her grief. Much like the girl, the stars were pining for their own love, but the moon was not present. They used the girl to distract themselves from their plight.

Her voice filled the air with song — a happy tune that soon transitioned to hysterical laugher. Curious children pressed their faces against their windows, listening as her giggles coalesced into one melancholic scream. They wondered at the dark streak in her hair, dyed red with blood. Soon enough she was swallowed by shadows, and the children pushed her from their minds.

The stars looked on as she entered the darkened forest, listening as her wailing tinged the air with crimson sleep. The girl clawed her way through, thorns and brambles tearing at her pale skin. She didn't feel it.

For hours the stars watched her. They watched as she struggled through the tallest trees, fighting physical battles alongside her innermost wars. They watched when she stopped to bury a dead bird on a forgotten path, tenderly caressing its frozen body before she piled mounds of dirt on its soft white feathers. They watched as her dress was ripped and torn, her hair losing the remnant gold as it filled with leaves and sap.

They felt no sympathy for her pain. Not even when she lost all energy, collapsing on the forest floor. They watched as she lay for another hour, resting her head on a bed of leaves. Nobody came for her. In the town she had run from, not a single person was looking for her.

The stars noticed when she lost all will to live. They noticed when she used her remaining energy to pull a small diamond ring from her finger, tossing it into the oblivion created by the trees around her. They watched as slowly, slowly, she drifted to a different kind of peaceful darkness. Blood seeped from her cracked lips, staining them red.

But blood looks black on a moonless night.


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

**_June 26, 2013_**

Alexandra Kale made her way along the busy streets of New York, sweating as an obnoxious sun obliterated the innocent clouds above her. Streaks of sunlight pierced her skin, cutting their way straight to her undead heart. Even the ground was sweltering in the heat, pulsing as unforgiving rays of light dragged each brick from restless sleep.

As she walked, she struggled with arms full of shopping bags, heavy with newly purchased clothing. A pendant set with amethyst and sapphire bounced against her chest, hanging loosely from her neck. Her blue-grey eyes appraised those who passed by her, unintentionally forcing them to despise their mundane lives.

Golden hair shining in the sun, she allowed herself to flash a small smile towards a fair-haired man across the road. Alexandra found herself feeling mildly amused when he stuttered and almost fell over his own feet in response.

She rounded the corner of the street, momentarily losing focus as the bright sun wrestled her vision. Colliding with a wicker basket, apples began to bounce in front of her, rolling in every direction as Alexandra exuded a short cry of surprise. Squinting, she took a minute to register the situation. An old lady stood in front of her, blinking irritably as she watched her basket of fruit scatter across the pavement.

"Wrinklies like you should know how to watch where they're going," Alexandra snapped at the old woman, hardly caring for the hurt expression that quickly set itself on the lady's face. She kneeled to pick up an apple which had landed at her feet. Turning it, she noticed that half of it was bright red, the other half a shiny green. She smiled. It was imperfectly beautiful.

But the apple didn't deserve her love.

Love didn't exist.

Alexandra rolled her eyes and threw the fruit to the ground, simultaneously shoving her way past the old woman who was still gaping at her in shock.

"Petulant, impudent child," the old lady cursed her from behind, running to retrieve her now dirtied batch of apples. Alexandra barely noticed, scrunching her face in the heat as she made her way down the street. Her heels squeezed her toes, making them feel pinched and broken. She hardly cared for the pain anymore. Nevertheless, she walked a little faster, craving the air-conditioning and quiet comforts her apartment offered.

"Miss!" a deep voice called from behind her. Alexandra widened her eyes and walked a little faster, wanting to avoid any further human contact today. "_Miss!"_ The word was repeated earnestly, and Alexandra soon found a large hand gripping her shoulder. She stopped walking and gritted her teeth before she turned.

_"What?" _she snapped at the stranger, her voice a flower choked by tangled weeds. He raised light brown eyebrows at the unhappy tone of her voice before shaking his head, as though he hadn't expected anything less than a scornful response.

"You dropped this." He held up a tube of Icy Violet lipstick, number 475 from her catalogue. Alexandra snatched it from his hand, placing it in her purse before turning around and continuing on her way. "_Excuse me_," he exclaimed. "A thank you would have been nice. People don't appreciate it when you throw their grandmother's apples all over the street then scorn them when they return your belongings."

Alexandra turned to him and smiled prettily before smirking. "Perhaps you should see a psychologist. You know, someone who's paid to care about your problems."

"And perhaps you should see a unicorn. Might make you happier, but we don't always get what we want." Alexandra frowned at him, realising that this man was crazy. _Unicorns_. What did mythical horses have to do with any of this? Instead of gratifying his response with a reply, she turned her back on him again and continued up the street.

She didn't want to talk to anyone, much less a male whose sanity was _obviously _impaired. Alexandra could see her apartment building at the end of the sidewalk; the little blue door promising escape from the melting heat outside. Her shopping bags weighed her down as she hobbled along the concrete path. Soon enough, she felt a tug at the bags she was holding in her left hand, and Alexandra turned to glare at the bag thief. Realising that it was the same man from before, she sighed in exasperation and hissed. "_What_ do you want?"

"To teach you some manners." He flashed her a big smile, and to her dismay she realised that she wasn't getting rid of him anytime soon. Alexandra glared at him as he gently pried the bags from her hand. Silently, she hoped that he was a bag thief. Losing her shopping would be much better than having to spend even five more minutes with Mr Manners.

Alexandra continued toward the blue door, focused on getting there and ridding herself of her stalker. When she opened the door, she wrinkled her nose again. It was even hotter in here, and she had about 24 flights of stairs before she reached her floor.

When they were nearing the 17th floor, the man behind her groaned in discomfort. "Why don't you take the lift like a normal person?"

"There's a 98.5% chance that the lift will have at least one other person in it. There's a 99.9% chance that on a normal day, I will not see a single soul on these steps. Now I know arithmetic probably _isn't_ your strong point, so I'll put it in caveman terms. People like lift. People don't like stairs. Me don't like people." The sound of her heels hitting the stone steps echoed around them as she internally prayed that he would just _shut up_ and not reply.

"Heaven forbid she'd have to _acknowledge_ someone or _talk_ to them. What _horror_." Alexandra heard his muttered response and chose to ignore it. If he had a problem with her, then he shouldn't have followed her in the first place.

After ten more minutes of stair climbing, she reached the 24th floor, and impatiently tapped her foot as she held the fire escape door open for him. "Hurry, slave," she snapped as she watched him leisurely make his way up. Just as he made it to the top of the stairs, she let go of the door, watching as it almost threw him backwards. She was a little disappointed. It would have been amusing tipping him down the fire escape.

He followed her to the only door in the hallway, handing her the bags he had carried for her. Before she could disappear inside the apartment, he pushed his next words out of his throat. "How would you like to go to dinner tonight?"

"I _don't_ want to know you." Her voice was flat and unamused.

"So I'll pick you up at 7, then." He widened his smile and stared at her, his blue eyes making it obvious that he would carry her out if he had to.

"I don't even know your name." She looked tired. It was obvious that she didn't want to fight with him anymore.

"Klaus," he raised an eyebrow playfully, "and yours?"

"Guess you'll find out tonight." She slammed the door in his face.


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

_**June 26, 2013**_

Alexandra jumped as a loud knock reverberated throughout her apartment. Her book fell to the ground and she sighed, muttering unhappily about losing her place. She lazily pushed herself off the couch and walked slowly towards the front door. Before she made it, another knock disturbed her ears. It was louder, accompanied by two other whacks on the door. When she opened the door, she rolled her eyes at the sight before her.

"You know," she said, "one knock is just as sufficient as 4."

"Why does it look like you're about to go to bed?" Klaus raised an eyebrow at Alexandra, and she just shrugged her shoulders in response.

"Because sleeping is more interesting than looking at you," she bit back, sending him a sweet smile to juxtapose her words.

"It's seven thirty." His words were laced with irritation and disbelief. Alexandra shrugged her shoulders, the innocent smile never leaving her face. "You promised me dinner _and_ a name." Klaus looked at her expectantly, but she just smirked in response.

"If that were true, you'd have dinner, a name, and a headache." She tightened her smile, growing sick of their banter. "Right now though, I have a book that misses me too much to be left alone. You know what books are like. Toodeloo!" Alexandra tried to shut the door on him again, much like she had that afternoon, but she couldn't. He'd stuck his foot in between the door, ensuring that it wouldn't close.

Alexandra frowned, raising her foot and bringing it down on his Italian leather shoes with full force. He responded only by pulling the door open again, and Alexandra realised that he was stronger than her. He was probably just like her.

"Oh hell," she glared at him. "I thought you were human."

"Original, sweetheart. You've probably heard about me. Now I _was_ promised dinner and a name, so let's go." He grabbed her arm and pulled her out the door.

"I'm in my pajamas!" Alexandra protested. Klaus just shrugged, not caring about her petty concerns. When they were out on the street, she decided to speak again. "I'll scream." She glared up at him but he just shrugged again.

"I'll kill anyone who hears you."

Alexandra sighed, running to catch up with him so it was less like he was dragging her. "How _charming_. How many women has that line got you?"

"None."

Alexandra poked her tongue out at him childishly, unsurprised that his collecting-women strategy had never worked for him in the past.

"But then, only one woman ever mattered to me." Klaus frowned. He didn't want to think about the woman he'd promised to stay away from.

"Please tell me that's not me. I'll kill myself," Alexandra groaned.

"No it's not _you_, you insufferable woman. I'm here on behalf of Stefan."

Alexandra's eyes widened at the name. She didn't reply.

"_Finally_," she thought she heard Klaus mutter, but she didn't respond, too caught in her own world to register the present situation.

She hadn't heard from Stefan in years — hadn't even _thought_ of him — and now… "How is he?" Alexandra asked timidly.

"Who, love? Our mutual ripper friend? Fine, I'd say, although he did recently lose the love of his life." Klaus smirked, obviously unaffected by the news. "Want to see him?"

"Not if it means I have to spend one more minute with you, _love_." Alexandra smiled sweetly at him, signifying the return of her hard façade. She wrenched her arm from Klaus' grip and walked confidently beside him, showing that she still had some form of control over the situation.

"No need to be rude, Alexandria, sweetheart. You might hurt my feelings." Klaus grinned at her and she gaped at him.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, stupidly. No one had called her Alexandria in _years_. She hadn't even told him that her name started with an A.

"Oh but I told you, love. Stefan sent me. Shall we go in here?" He gestured towards an empty coffee shop and Alexandra nodded, dumbfounded. "Two Moroccan hot chocolates." He nodded at the girl behind the counter as she took the order down and busied herself with Klaus' request.

"That's a little creepy, Klaus," Alexandra quipped. She didn't understand how he knew that she didn't drink coffee, or how he knew she loved chocolate, or how he'd known where to find her. Even if Stefan had sent him, she couldn't imagine her former best friend leaving Klaus with any information other than her name. Stefan hadn't even known that she was living in New York.

"Сталкер." Alexandra spoke the word and winked at Klaus but he only glared back. "If you don't appreciate my humour, that's your loss." She shrugged her shoulders at him, but he opted to stare out the shop window instead of looking at her.

"It's dark out," Alexandra observed. "What about that window is so interesting to you?"

"Of course it's dark," Klaus replied in monotone. "It's already 8:15."

Alexandra rolled her eyes. The two of them were stating _facts_ at each other. This was hardly a useful way to spend her evening. "Rather than giving me updates on the time, could you tell me why you're here?" She tilted her head forward, tired of the game they'd been playing for the past hour.

"I told you, love. I'm here for Stefan."

Alexandra sighed. "Thank you for telling me that three times. Now, you're going to tell me a fourth time and you're going to be _explicit_ about it. Enough implications. What does he need?"

"He was right, Alexandria. You _are_ a pushy one." Alexandra fought the urge to kick Klaus under the table.

"_My name is Alexandra," _she spat. _"Why are you here?"_

"Stefan's going through a bit of a rough time at the moment." Klaus looked up as though he was severely bored with the conversation. "I need him for a job up in New Orleans but he's too mopey to be of any use. I'd appreciate it if you could travel down to Mystic Falls and give him a push in the right direction, _Alexandra_. You know how _irritating_ Stefan can be when he's brooding."

"Stefan's issues aren't my business anymore." She raised both eyebrows at Klaus, adamantly refusing to give in to his wishes.

"Would his issues be of interest to you on pain of death?"

"And he sent you to deliver a death threat?"

"Whoever said he sent me? He told me about you a _long_ time ago. Think 1926." Klaus grinned.

"I'm not afraid of dying." Alexandra crossed her arms, unafraid of the original hybrid in front of her.

"No, love, I can see that." Klaus frowned, pausing for a moment before he continued in his speech. "I meant on pain of _Damon's_ death. Fix Stefan for me, or his brother dies. And then I'll take his _girlfriend_." Klaus laughed before correcting himself. "_Ex-girlfriend._ And then I'll take his last remaining family members. And his pretty little friends too. Finally, I'll get rid of you. Imagine how poor little Stef would deal with that."

"He wouldn't," Alexandra realised. If Klaus followed through with his threat, Stefan wouldn't make it past his brother's death. No matter how strong he showed himself to be, he would never be strong enough to survive _that. _

"You have two months, or you'll have a few disappearances on your hands. See you then."

Klaus was gone before the hot chocolates even made it to the table.


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

_**February 4, 1849**_

At seven years old, Alexandria's hair was a light brown, four faint blonde streaks framing her face. It was braided down to her waist, pulled away from the tears that ran down to her chin. "Shhh, Ally," her father murmured at her from across the carriage. "This new home will be better than the last. We'll be okay."

"But Papa," she whimpered, "how will we ever be okay without momma?" Her father responded to her question with woeful silence, instead moving across to her side and pulling her to him in a comforting embrace.

They rode in silence for a few hours before her father spoke again. "We're staying with Giuseppe Salvatore, an old friend, until our possessions are moved into the new estate. He has two sons." He crinkled his eyes playfully before sternly continuing, "Be nice. Don't beat them like you did the boys back home." Her father gently tapped her on the nose and she giggled through her tears.

As the carriage pulled to a stop, Alexandria began to feel nervous. Her head filled with thoughts about whether she would like her new home, and whether the people here would like her. She pulled herself up and made her way out of the carriage first, as social protocol demanded. A line of servants greeted her as she stepped out, but she paid them no attention. Looking at the family situated next to the front door, she noted that they were a small group.

A tall man, who she guessed was Giuseppe, stood next to a brunette woman holding a squirming baby. Standing in front of them, a young boy smirked at her, his eyes blue as the oceans she'd played in with her mother. He looked cheeky, and Alexandria decided that he would make a good subject for her torment. He was older than her, yet still younger than the children who had run from her back home.

Feeling a nudge at her back, she walked towards them, her father's comforting presence behind her. "Hello Giuseppe!" A wide grin set itself on the other man's face as Alexandria's father greeted him amiably. Alexandria rolled her eyes and ignored both of them, instead walking over to the blue-eyed boy who was still grinning stupidly.

"Hello," she curtsied briefly before straightening herself. "My name is Alexandria."

"Hello Alexad… Alexian…" Alexandria raised an eyebrow as he struggled with her name. It really shouldn't have been _that_ hard. The boy blushed momentarily before finally finishing with, "Alexia." She frowned at him and he just shrugged his shoulders sheepishly before continuing. "I'm Damon."

She giggled before she replied wickedly. "Hello Da… Dao… Dano… Damon!" Alexandria winked at him as he hung his head in apologetic embarrassment. "Don't worry," she said, still laughing. "You can call me Alexia if you want. Who's the baby?"

Her new friend adopted his smug facade again before looking up at the baby boy in his mother's arms. "That's just Stefan. He's boring. All he does is suck his fingers all day."

Alexandria shrugged, unsurprised. She knew that babies never did anything, anyway. She was confused, though, when Damon turned and walked away from her and into the house.

She looked at her Papa, unsure as to whether she should follow him. Damon made the decision for her when he turned and shouted, "Alexia! Are you coming or not? I have to introduce you to Ellie!"

Alexandria ran after him, catching up to him as he began to ascend the stairs. "Who's Ellie?", she asked curiously.

"She's a ghost." Alexandria scoffed at Damon's answer. He was obviously deluded. As they made their way into the upper levels of the house, Damon spoke again to alleviate the silence threatening to overtake their newfound friendship.

"I was really excited when my parents told me I was getting a new friend. You're a bit of a disappointment. Too small, you don't talk much, _and_ you're a girl."

Alexandria widened her eyes at him, faking hurt as he continued to grin stupidly at her. She continued to walk up the stairs towards him, an innocuous smile upon her face. "What would Ellie say, if she heard you?"

Damon frowned at her, trying to figure out what the tiny girl was doing as she invaded his house. "What would Ellie do, if she knew what I was about to do to you?" Damon stifled a laugh as she reached him at the top of the stairs. His new housemate was tiny. There was nothing she could do to a big, strong eight-year-old such as himself. "Then again, Ellie's just a ghost. _She's. Not. Real."_

Damon gasped. She'd gone too far. "I'm two years older than you." Alexandria shrugged at him, as if to say, 'so what?'. "That means I know more."

Alexandria scoffed before she replied. "You don't have a brain. How could you know more than me?" When Damon opened his mouth to reply, she interrupted him by whacking him upside the head. She continued to hit him until he ended up on the ground, pleading for her to stop. Eventually she stood up, leaving the oldest Salvatore child cowering on the ground before her.

"Just because I'm small," she giggled, "doesn't mean I can't beat you. You're such a wimp. You're not even bleeding."

Alexandria turned and walked back down the stairs, not caring about the consequences that would follow her childish violence. Damon remained behind her, sitting shell-shocked at the top of the stairs. Alexandria had wounded his pride and he knew that he would never live it down. Beaten by a girl three years his younger?

Alexandria was tiny, but now he knew she was dangerous.

"Teach me." She frowned and turned when he spoke from behind her. None of the children she'd played with had ever spoken to her when she was walking away. "Teach me to hit like you." Damon was standing up again, but this time his eyes were filled with nothing but awe. She shrugged in agreement. "Come on," he gestured up the stairs, "I wanna show you my house."

_Yes_, her subconscious whispered mischievously as she began to follow him up the stairs again. _This one will be easy to get along with_.

_And he'd certainly be easy to control._

She ran back up the stairs behind Damon, trying to catch up before she lost him in the many hallways that decorated the house. When she got to the top, she found him waiting for her in front of a door to the side.

"This is my dad's study," he said very seriously. "Don't _ever_ go in there."

"Why not?"

"He'll get really mad. There's some super secret stuff that's not meant for children." Damon frowned at her, keeping a serious look on his face.

"I'm seven. I'm a big girl now, Damon. I wanna go in there." Alexandria smiled mischievously, and quickly winked at her new friend. She walked over to the door and placed her hand on the door handle, ignoring Damon's worried gasp. As she turned the knob she found that the room was locked. "Where's the key? I wanna go in."

Damon shook his head. "If you go in there, you'll make it harder for my dad to do his job."

"What's so special I can't go in?" Alexandria raised both of her eyebrows at Damon, questioning him.

"Don't worry about it. You just can't ever go in."

"I don't understand. I thought we were friends now…" Alexandria gave Damon the most melancholy look she could muster, hoping that it would convince him to allow her into the forbidden room.

"You'll think I'm crazy."

"Only crazy people are crazy."

Damon looked at her like he couldn't comprehend what she was saying. Alexandria wasn't surprised. She'd always known that boys weren't born with brains.

"It's just his job. Can we go now?" Damon turned to show her through the hallway, but Alexandria grabbed his arm before he could take a step.

"Tell me the truth, Damon."

Damon shook his head stubbornly and she raised her arm in a threatening manner. She didn't have to warn him again. He knew how much those hits hurt.

"He protects people from vampires," Damon blurted. "We're not allowed to go in there because we might find something we're not allowed to know. It could make his job really hard."

Alexandria stared at Damon intensely before slowly widening her eyes. "Vampires?" she whispered nervously. Damon nodded seriously, glad that Alexia understood what he was saying.

Then she laughed.

Alexandria laughed and laughed.

Her face grew red with amusement. She laughed so hard that she didn't realise that Damon wasn't laughing with her. She didn't notice that he truly believed what he was saying.

"Vampires don't exist, Damon." Alexandria clutched her sides, trying to calm her laughter. "I like you," she stated. "I like you very much."

Damon grunted. He tried to tell her, but if she didn't believe him then it was her fault. Alexandria wasn't his responsibility anyway. It didn't matter if she believed him or not.

"Sure," he grumbled. "Come on, I'll show you your room."


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_**June 27, 2013**_

The brunette flight attendant looked on in confusion at the blonde-haired woman who had not moved from seat 21A since the plane had landed. The other passengers had already vacated the cabin and still the woman remained, staring dolefully out the window. Her golden hair reflected the sun, hiding her features from the curious attendant.

When she realised that the fair-haired lady had no intention of moving, the brunette cautiously walked towards her. She flashed a smile and gently tapped the blonde on the shoulder.

"It's time to get off the plane now, Ma'am."

Alexandra, not happy at all with the way she was dragged from her thoughts, turned quickly. In a flash, she wrapped one hand around the brunette's neck.

"Tip for the future," she murmured into the other woman's ear, "don't disturb a quiet vampire." Alexandra let her voice ring with menace as she whispered, "I could eat you. Right now."

The brunette tried to scream, but Alexandra clamped her other hand over the woman's mouth. Staring into her eyes, she willed the flight attendant to forget everything. By the time the brunette woman shook herself out of the compulsion-induced daze, Alexandra was gone.

Alexandra was smirking as she made her way out of the airport, carrying nothing but the clothes she was currently wearing. She did not hesitate as she began to walk down the road in the direction of Mystic Falls. As she approached the town, she did her best to ignore the forest and the memories it brought with it.

As she walked through the once familiar town, she reflected upon how much it had changed. Shops and roads replaced the meadows she had played in as a child. A giant apple tree — now a metal sign.

Everything was different.

Alexandra continued to move throughout the town until she reentered the forest. She crinkled her eyes. This should have been part of the town. Both her old house and the Salvatore Estate were located further out than this, so it shouldn't have been forest area.

Then again, she _had_ been gone a long time.

She pushed leaves and branches away from her face as she walked through the forest. _Perhaps the house still existed. Perhaps it had just been cut off_.

She didn't hold much hope.

Soon enough, she found the estate.

It's remains.

Alexandra closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath as she blinked away the oncoming tears. It had been a second home when she was a child, and it was supposed to be her home as an adult. If the Salvatore's old house was no longer more than a pile of junk in the middle of the woods, her old house would be the same.

Alexandria Katranjiev truly was no more.

She pushed her shoulders up and forced herself to focus. _This didn't matter. Not anymore_. Her first priority was to find Stefan.

Reentering town, Alexandra was a woman on a mission. She no longer cared about good impressions or reflecting on a life long past. She shoved her way through clogged up streets, and pushed past young children holding their parent's hands. Rolling her eyes, Alexandra latched on to the closest person's arm. The blonde she'd grabbed turned to face her, a startled look on her face.

"Sorry." Alexandra released her grip on the blonde's arm, offering a tentative smile. "I'm looking for Stefan Salvatore. You wouldn't happen to know where he is?"

The blonde raised both eyebrows at Alexandra. "Are you kidding me? You grab my arm like some deranged stalker, and then ask for my friend's location? Yeah no thanks."

Alexandra sighed, mentally groaning in frustration. She looked into the blonde's eyes and quietly said, "Tell me where Stefan is."

The blonde narrowed her eyes and muttered, "Vampires can't compel other vampires. Unless you're an original, of course… but you're not. Oops."

Alexandra pushed the blonde into a relatively empty street, no longer caring about who witnessed her behaviour. She pushed her into a wall, wrapping one hand around the blonde's neck.

"Look, blondie. Being here is hell for me, so believe me when I say I'm strictly here on business. And as much as I love arguing with bimbo barbies, I have a Salvatore ass to save. Tell me where Stefan is."

The blonde girl sputtered a little bit before quietly mumbling something Alexandra couldn't hear.

"What was that?" Alexandra made sure to look unforgiving.

"I said you sound like Damon."

Alexandra's resolve didn't waver, and she tightened her hold around the blonde's neck. "That name doesn't sound like _Stefan_. Quick lesson on phonetics: the 's' sound is not the same as 'd'."

"I know that," the blonde choked. "Screw you."

Alexandra could have slapped her.

"Caroline?" A new voice introduced itself to the scene. "Get away from her!" Alexandra barely moved as she was unsuccessfully shoved to the side.

Humans were so powerless.

Without letting go of blondie, Alexandra flicked her head to the side and politely stated, "I need to find Stefan Salvatore. Do you know where he is?"

"Are you crazy?" The brunette human yelled at Alexandra, using her eyes to convey her displeasure. She'd long since realised that physical resistance was futile.

"Not as crazy as you will be when I kill blondie here." Alexandra flashed a huge smile at the human, holding back a laugh at the shocked look on her face.

"Now, now. That's not very kind." Male. Alexandra found her back to the ground, as she was knocked away from the girls. "Elena, Caroline. Are you alright?" There was a brief moment of silence. "Run home."

Alexandra pushed herself up off the ground, ready to face her attacker. She paused. His back was still facing her, but she'd already figured out who it was.

Within seconds, the man was back on the offensive, quickly turning to look at the woman who'd threatened his friends. When he saw her, however, he was just as shell-shocked as she had been.

"Alexandria?"

"Hello ant." She smiled at him, glad she didn't have to throw any punches for the moment.

"You can't be," he murmured back. She rewarded him with one raised eyebrow and a very judgmental look.

"Well alright then." She threw her hands up in the air. "If I can't be me, then call me Kate. I have blue eyes and blonde…" she paused for a moment. "If I have to change from being me, do I get to change my hair too? I'm thinking black? Super short."

"That's not what I meant, Alexandra. You know that." Stefan ran at her, grabbing her in a tight hug. She stiffened, surprised at the unwelcome contact. She'd never been comfortable with skin-to-skin contact. The only time she ever touched another person was when she was punching or choking them.

She relaxed again once Stefan let go of her. He wasn't offended or worried by her lack of enthusiasm for his touch. He knew she was glad to see him, but in her own way.

"I'm not surprised I ran into you like this," he looked at her and she returned his gaze with a confused frown. "Choking my best friend, threatening my ex-girlfriend. It's almost like we're kids again."

"Hey!" she slapped him lightly on the arm. "Stop holding that against me. I never choked myself, and Janine was a bitch. She deserved my threats."

"Yeah, and the punches you threw at her?"

"Every. One."


End file.
